Don't Read See Hufflepuffle's Newest Story
by wannabewitch4526
Summary: This is the story of Albus Potter's adventures at Hogwarts. He struggles with his identity, his friends, and his very own arch-nemesis. Very exciting and very original! Mostly fluff. I own nothing - it's all Jo's.


As he stepped through the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10, Albus Potter began feeling uneasy. This whole summer, he had been so excited to finally go to Hogwarts, the fabulous wizarding school he had heard his older brother, James, talk about so often. But now the gravity of the situation hit him like a brick wall – he was going to school in a foreign country for nine months, away from his family, and he could not even guarantee that he would be in the same house as his brother. James was a stereotypical Gryffindor – brave, daring, and confident. There had been no question as to which house he would be in, and apparently the Sorting Hat had barely been placed on his head before it shouted "Gryffindor!" Albus was much more reserved and timid than his brother. He was shy and gentle, and he was not entirely confident in his magical aptitude. What if he was sorted into Slytherin, Gryffindor's arch rival? What if he didn't possess any of the qualities Hogwarts looked for – intelligence, loyalty, bravery, or cunning? What would his parents think if he wasn't in Gryffindor? He would be the first in the family for as far back as he knew to not be in Gryffindor, and this scared him. But there wasn't anything he could do about it now. His trunk was packed, the train was here, and his Hogwarts robes were on – he was going, whether he wanted to or not.

Albus had barely stepped onto Platform 9 ¾ before his brother began to taunt him about his nervousness. He wanted more than anything to know that his parents would still love him, even if he got sorted into Slytherin. He walked timidly over to his father, who was loading his trunk onto the big scarlet steam engine.

"Hey Dad..."

"Yes son?"

He stopped for a moment, and considered not even asking him. Maybe if he brought it up, his father would be aware that he had doubts about his ability to get into Gryffindor. But he couldn't help himself – it just slipped out.

"Would you still love me if I was in another house?"

"What do you mean, Al?"

"Well... would you still love me... even if I was in... Slytherin?"

His father searched his face with a kind smile, then he knelt down before Albus and looked him straight in the eye.

"Your mother and I would be proud to have a Slytherin for a son."

"But James says -"

His father cut him off with a chuckle.

"James says that Slytherins are awful, doesn't he? Well he would – your brother has always been a bit headstrong. He's a lot like I was when I was his age, to be honest. I too was blinded by hatred of a few Slytherins, which made me think all Slytherins were awful. But son, you're named after two of the greatest headmasters Hogwarts has ever seen. One of them was a Slytherin, and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew. The point is, son, that no matter which house to get sorted in to, it's your personality that defines you – not your house. Alright?"

Albus felt extremely relieved. He gave his dad a hug and ran over to the rest of the crowd gathered to see him, his brother, and his cousins Rose, Freddie, Roxanne, Victoire, Dominique, Louis, and Molly off.

Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione were standing next to his mom, Ginny. Aunt Hermione was fussing over Rose's bushy red hair, attempting unsuccessfully to pull it back into a manageable plait, and Uncle Ron was talking with Ginny, his hand on little Hugo's shoulder.

"It's so weird... I can still remember the day we were first here, can't you Gin?"

"Yeah, and I remember that look on your face when you watched Percy go through the barrier – priceless."

"Okay, well pardon me for freaking out a little bit when my brother disappeared through a solid brick wall! Bloody hell!"

"RONALD! Watch your language in front of the children!"

Aunt Hermione rolled her eyes at Uncle Ron, and resumed her fruitless attempts at fixing Rose's hair.

"I'm sorry, dear – it seems you've inherited my hair. Why won't you just let me pull it back into a ponytail? A braid is far too difficult without some Sleekeazy's."

"I have some in my trunk, don't I? Why can't I just get it out?"

Uncle Ron interjected.

"Because I've had to re-pack your bag four times this morning, that's why."

Rose huffed and finally let her mother pull her hair into a puffy ponytail at the nape of her neck. She then scurried off to grab a good seat on the train, without so much as a glance back at her parents.

"We love you too, Rose! Geez!"

Albus wrapped one arm around his aunt's waist, and the other around his uncle's hips.

"I'LL miss you, anyway."

"I knew I liked him, Herm."

"We'll miss you too dear, and we promise to write, okay?"

And Aunt Hermione planted a kiss on Albus's cheek, and Uncle Ron wrapped him in a tight one-armed hug around the shoulders.

Then Albus made his way to his mother and his little sister Lily to say goodbye. Lily was very upset. She was quite attached to Albus, and the thought of him being gone for nine months caused her a lot of grief. She didn't let go of him until her mother prized her off of Albus, and even then she had to restrain her as he clambered up onto the Hogwarts Express.

"I'll write Lily, I promise! And I'll be home for Christmas before you know it!"

"Yeah Lil, Al and I will be home soon!"

She smiled, teary-eyed, and waved back at the receding figure of her older brothers in the window of the train which was rolling steadily faster ad faster out of King's Cross Station.

Albus finally turned around, hoping to find a compartment with his older brother, only to find that James had run off to join his best friends, Finn and Amelia, in a compartment at the front of the train. So Albus settled into the only empty compartment and stared out at the rolling hills and vast green valleys, knowing that each inch the train moved was an inch closer to his new home.


End file.
